March 20 Shunki-sorei-sai
Posted by ksozenbe in Shinto on 12. Mar, 2010 | Comments Off
Shunki-sorei-sai (Shinto) The March Memorial Service is held at home altars to revere ancestors as kami. Gravesites are cleaned and purified.
February 3 Setsunbun-sai
Posted by ksozenbe in Shinto on 01. Feb, 2010 | Comments Off
Setsunbun-sai (Shinto) Popularly known as the Bean-throwing Festival, Setsunbun-sai marks the end of winter and the eve of the first day of spring according to the ancient East Asian solar calendar familiar to Japanese. Beans are thrown into each room of the house and then through the outer doors with the shout, “Devils out, Fortune [...]
January 15 Seijin-no-hi
Posted by ksozenbe in Shinto on 11. Jan, 2010 | Comments Off
Seijin-no-hi (Shinto) Seijin-no-hi—Coming-of-Age Day is a national holiday in Japan. Young women and men twenty years of age go to shrines, wearing traditional clothing. Their families announce their adulthood to the kami or spirits, and pray for health and well-being for a lifetime to come.
January 1 Gantan-sai
Posted by ksozenbe in Shinto on 11. Jan, 2010 | Comments Off
Gantan-sai (Shinto) Japanese welcome in the New Year with prayers for renewal of hearts, good health, and prosperity. They wear their best clothes and visit shrines in large numbers–sometimes at the very stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve. During the seven days of the holiday, people visit one another’s homes to offer good wishes [...]
